City of Alma E-Newsletter

News That's Important for You!

January 2014

City Commission

Organizational Meeting

The City Commission Organizational Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. at the Alma Municipal Building. At this meeting the Commission will select the Mayor, Vice-Mayor and City Attorney as well as set the regular meeting date, time and place for City Commission meetings through December 2015. Also, they will designate various financial institutions as approved depositories for City funds. All those interested are encouraged to attend.

City of Alma Goal Setting Session

The City Commission will be hosting a goal setting session on Thursday, January 23, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. at the Alma Public Library. The Commission and staff will be discussing and setting priorities for consideration during the upcoming FY 2015 budget preparation. Citizens are encouraged to attend and provide input during this important goal setting session.

Congratulations to City Employees

The following City employees were recently recognized for their years of service to the City of Alma. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the citizens of Alma.

Forty Years:

Harold House

Jack Snyder

Twenty-Five Years:

Jeff Hedrick

Lynne Ludy

Fifteen Years:

Aeric Ripley

Tyler Haase

Todd Snyder

Carol O'Donogue

Mark Williams

Ten Years:

Carol Shaw

Casey Mueler

Chad Pratt

Dave West

Tom Patterson

Don Ayers (Commissioner)

Five Years:

Larry Mott (Commissioner)

Christmas Tree Pick Up

The City of Alma annual Christmas tree pickup program will begin the week of January 13th. Residents should have their tree by the curb with all hardware and bags removed. Trees will be picked up on your regular trash collection day. If you have any questions, please call 463-8339.

DART Back-to-School Specials

DART Transportation will be offering back-to-school specials from December 23 - January 3. One-way semi-annual student pass is $125; round trip semi-annual student pass is $240. All ticket books for standing order students are $9 (no coupon needed). Stop by the office at 1105 Willow Run or call 463-6016 for more info. We now accept credit/debit cards for your convenience.

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Snow and Ice Control Plan

snowplow

The City of Alma has a snow and ice control plan in place which designates

snow plowing priorities during a winter storm. The plan specifies which facilities and streets will be cleared and the priority in which snow and ice will be removed. Please follow the link to read the plan in its entirety.

Storm Water Diversion Program

The City of Alma's Storm Water Diversion Program is suspended for the winter months. There are 34 homes that still need to be corrected within the neighborhood area south of Superior and west of Grant. If you have a non-complaint home and have not signed a contract with one of the three approved contractors, please do so as soon as possible so that you do not lose any funding opportunities. Property owners in the downtown district will begin to receive letters of compliance or non-compliance after the first of the year. Out of the buildings that have been inspected in the downtown district, 30% have been found to be non-complaint. If you receive a non-compliance letter, please contract with one of the three approved contractors (found on your letter) so that work can commence in the spring.

Construction as well as inspections will resume in the spring of 2014.

E-Commerce Workshops

Taxes Due February 14th

Property owners are reminded that property taxes are due by 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 14, 2014. Taxes paid after February 14th will be subject to a 3% penalty.

Red Cross Blood Drives

The American Red Cross asks eligible blood donors to give something that means something this winter. Give a gift that can help save a life--a blood donation.

Monday, December 30: 10:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

MidMichigan Medical Center - Gratiot

Friday, January 3: 1:00 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

Alma Public Library

Tuesday, January 7: noon - 5:45 p.m.

Ithaca Community Center

Wednesday, January 15: 10:30 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.

Vestaburg High School

Monday, January 20: 11:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Alma College Stone Rec Center

Thursday, January 23: 1:00 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

Lincoln Road United Methodist Church

Monday, January 27: noon - 5:45 p.m.

1st Church of God, St. Louis

To schedule your appointment, you may call 1-800-Red-Cross, 989-463-3209 or visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Remember to Shovel Your Sidewalks and

Clear Snow and Ice from Fire Hydrants

Now that winter has arrived, we remind everyone that you are required by City Ordinance to keep sidewalks free and clear of snow and ice. Also, if you have a fire hydrant on your property, please keep it clear of snow and ice so that it is easily accessible in case of an emergency. If you have questions, call463-8356

We Accept Credit/Debit Cards

The City of Alma accepts your credit/debit cards for payment of your water bills, taxes, invoices, park reservations, parking tickets, police reports, DART tickets, library transactions and other services. Also remember we still have bank drafting for your water bills.

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Issue: 57